i am at a loss. i feel like a junkie thinking about my next fix. it doesn't matter if i just ate and am stuffed to the gills, i start thinking about the next meal. as i am eating a snack i am wondering if this was what i really wanted or if there is something that will taste even better. this has just been going on for the last month ( that i can remember) there is times if i don't write down what i eat all day i won't be able to remember by the end of the day.
i want to loss weigth and i have had success in the past but it is all back with friends. it just seems like i am out of control w/ no stop in sight. you can say i have full control but when the urge strikes it is like i am on the outside looking in. any suggestions?? anyone else had this happen to them? i just want to be able to be normal !

Mon. Oct 9, 4:20pm

I can totally relate!!!!

I think that I'm in this mess because for me, food is social. I can go out to lunch with friends or co-workers, I can impress my boyfriend with my cooking, I can teach my sister and friends how to cook... all social. I also use food as a way to get affection. Sounds weird, but I'm a really good cook and people compliment me all the time on my cooking-It makes me feel good, so I keep cooking.

I'm trying to figure out if I need to cease all human interaction with food until I can control myself, or if I just need to find another way to get the attention I apparently crave....

Can you relate to any of this? Maybe you are seeking attention or a reason to interact with people like me??? If so, acknowledging the issue is a huge 1st step to solving it.

Monday, October 09, 2006, 5:31 PM

What in your life, other than food, brings you pleasure, brings you real joy?

To break the addiction cycle, try something like Overeaters Anonymous - something where you can pick up a phone instead of a pizza. Support is out there - this is one place to find it, but there are many if you look.

One observation from my experience - may or may not be true for anyone else: I got real control of my eating habits when i went lo carb, and only then. The first week was hell, but thereafter I did not have the cravings nor did I always get up to eat several times in the night. Again - this is just what worked for me - but there is something out there which will work equally well for you, so keep looking until you find it.

Monday, October 09, 2006, 5:42 PM

i can COMPLETELY relate to the 1st two posters. i too think about food all the time-think about what to eat next when i'm eating something already. I also use food to show care/love and can't help but pig out when i'm enjoying the company of friends. the only thing i have found to help me lose weight and feel in control is to literally BE IN CONTROL by setting a healthy and realistic limit on my caloric intake for each day-and making sure i count and post every little bite i put in my mouth. i still think about food way too much-sometimes i think i'm thinking about food even more now when i count calories-but i feel much more able to prevent myself from eating mindlessly. i still have days when i fall off track-sometimes two, i'm not perfect, but counting calories is really giving me an idea of what a normal days worth of food should look like and i'm gaining confidence that eventually i will be able to estimate my body's needs visually. good luck-not sure if this would work for you-but you aren't alone!

Monday, October 09, 2006, 10:38 PM

i can totally relate too. i feel like i have been out of control lately. i know my binging is stress related but i feel like there is nothing i can do to break this cycle. i want to be able to just NOT do it & not LOVE food so much. i am starting to think i need professional help or something. i mean i could be waaaaay worse. i overeat healthy things & i do work out but i just wish i wasn't this way. i feel like it's getting worse too...yikes!

Tuesday, October 10, 2006, 9:17 PM

I used to feel like this too, in such a way that I really thought my brain was wired differently from everyone else around me. Then I read a couple of books, one is Intuitive Eating and the other one is Overfed Head. Both of which I heard about on PT. I followed their recommendation (eat only when hungry, stop when full ... I mean, duh!) but without forbidding any one kind of food. I can't tell you the utter sense of freedom from the constant thinking about food that you mention. You don't need to buy the books, there is a team here that you can join. I found it a revelation. I haven't exactly resumed my weight loss, but I haven't gained, and now am actually enjoying eating my salads and fruits... because they taste food, not because I have to. I really don't crave food anymore!

Tuesday, October 10, 2006, 9:59 PM

op-here i have read the book ie and tried it . so far i have gained 10 lbs. i don't think that it will work for me untill i am able to overcome my obsession with food. i don't have any answers right now but i will continue to try. the hardest part for me so far is no matter how much i eat i never feel full. this is so hard to deal with. i think most of my problems stems from control issues as well as emotions. thanks for making me feel less alone.